At the opening of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, a powerful statement published on Tuesday, May 13, in Libération has brought together the voices of nearly 380 international artists, denouncing what they describe as an ongoing “genocide” in Gaza and condemning the deafening silence of the cultural world.
Among the signatories are prominent cinema figures such as French-Algerian actress Leïla Bekhti, American actor Richard Gere, Spanish star Javier Bardem, acclaimed director Pedro Almodóvar, as well as filmmakers David Cronenberg and Ruben Östlund, a two-time Palme d’Or winner.
“We cannot remain silent while a genocide is taking place in Gaza,” the statement opens, expressing deep dismay over the inaction of cultural institutions and fellow artists. The signatories argue that artists bear a moral responsibility to speak out against such violence.
A Coordinated Message at the Start of Cannes
This collective statement coincides with the launch of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, which features a documentary honoring Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in April along with ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister. Through the film, Hassouna becomes a symbol of Palestinian cultural resistance amidst war.
The signatories lament the indifference of many in the global film industry, including those who have built their careers on socially engaged work. “Such passivity shames us,” they write, also criticizing the Oscars Academy for its silence following the assault on Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who was attacked by Israeli settlers in March after receiving an award for his film No Other Land.
A Controversial but Not Unprecedented Stand
This is not the first such initiative. In 2014, Pedro Almodóvar and other European cultural figures publicly denounced the Israeli bombing of Gaza during Operation “Protective Edge.” Today, amid a dramatic escalation, these voices rise again—accusing parts of the artistic community of being disconnected from reality, especially the suffering of Palestinian artists.
The supposed presence of Juliette Binoche among the signatories was later denied in Libération’s print edition. As the president of this year’s Cannes jury, her absence from the list has already raised questions.
A War with Devastating Human Cost
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 52,862 people—mostly civilians—have been killed by Israeli attacks, a figure deemed credible by the United Nations.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Israel of committing acts of genocide, allegations strongly denied by Tel Aviv.
A Moral Appeal to the Artistic World
At its core, the statement is a plea for collective awareness. “Why does cinema—once a cradle of politically engaged works—seem indifferent to real-world horror?” the signatories ask. For them, cinema has the duty to amplify the voices of those dying in silence, both in theaters and on the global stage.
Will the Cannes Film Festival, often criticized for its political reticence, become a space for moral awakening this year? The coming days will reveal whether this bold appeal can stir a cultural world frequently accused of timidity in the face of today’s greatest human tragedies.
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